Arsenal defender Thomas Vermaelen admits he studied the Premiership's best defenders while at Ajax.

Vermaelen arrived at the Gunners in the summer from the Dutch club.

"I like defenders in England the most," Vermaelen told the Sunday Times. "Before I came here, I looked a lot to Vidic. He's good with his head, he's a good tackler, strong and plays man on man. And I watched John Terry of course. In England you have to defend with everything and use 11 players. That's the key to success. What defenders do does not get the headlines but in England there's more respect for what defenders do. The people appreciate tackling."